Aboriginal business to lead rabbit cull in Saskatoon

EFN Staff | April 01, 2017

Two entrepreneurs in
Saskatoon have landed themselves a killer contract from the City of Saskatoon.
Combining their entrepreneurialism and their urban Aboriginal right to hunt, John
Lagimodiere and Winston McLean’s
business “Half Breed and an Indian” has been chosen by the City to help control
the booming rabbit population in Saskatoon.

John Lagimodiere and Winston McLean have combined their hunting talents to help rid the City of Saskatoon from its urban rabbit onslaught.

The business idea came
over a lunch break. “We were eating outside and Winston noticed all the rabbits
around,” said Lagimodiere. “We realized they were creating trouble in the park
and in innocent neighbourhoods. There was so many of them, the damage to the
grass and trees was quite bad. And what they were doing to the local cats was
just disgusting. Winston thought that was just wrong.”

So the fellows
brainstormed over the next couple days and also did some research on businesses
and their Aboriginal rights. They found a section in the Constitution that
allowed for a reasonable livelihood to be made from hunting and gathering.

They came up with a
plan to help curb the rabbit population. Winston, who is from the James Smith
Cree Nation, has extensive rabbit experience from his homeland and though a bit
older and slower, he is a deadly shot. John, on the other hand, was raised in
the city, but is wicked fast. They merged their talents into a lethal
combination. “I shoot the rabbits with my slingshot,” said McLean. “Unless I
get a head shot, the slingshot won’t kill them. Then John runs up and clubs
them with his wapos stick. Very efficient.”

“I only need one
whack,” said Lagimodiere, who honed his hacking skills in years of city hockey.
“There is no suffering here except for the landscape and animals that the
rabbits are abusing.”

Lagimodiere and McLean plan to methodically clean the city of rabbits neighbourhood by neighbourhood, bush by bush, leaving no place to hide for the wily urban rabbit.

Once their technique
was perfected, they still had to convince the City to hire them on. They went
to Frank Bigspender, Manager of Aboriginal Rights and Benefits for the City. “I
was impressed with the drive and innovation of these two. Plus, those rabbits are
disgusting,” said Bigspender. “Our city lawyers did due diligence and legally,
those guys can hunt in the City, but have to use traditional weapons. And in
this era of reconciliation, empowering people who want to exercise their
Aboriginal rights should be encouraged.”

The guys want others to
learn from their business relationship. “We want to show that Métis and First
Nation people can work together for the betterment of everyone,” said McLean.
“We don’t see colour, just character.”

The plan is to bring
the rabbit population down to a manageable level. And with the hundreds of
rabbits roaming the city, they will be busy. “We will be working hard all
summer and figure to clean up twenty rabbits per day and a few gophers if we
are lucky. We both believe we can get er done,” said Lagimodiere. “And nothing
is wasted. I learned a way to soften the pelt using my teeth and we are selling
them to artisans and Winston will be using all the meat. It feels good to
contribute and help the grass and the cats.”

“I’m eating rabbit soup
all summer,” added McLean.

The contract for the
Half Breed and an Indian rabbit cull runs from April 1, 2017 to April 1, 2018.